Post by Jack Loomes on Apr 20, 2014 5:02:21 GMT

Editor's Note: The combination of an (unfullered?) lenticular blade and the unusual (for the West) hemispherical pommel, may indicate a Byzantine influence or manufacture of this blade. A hallmark of Varangian weapons is the combination of Norse and Roman design elements. The Type R (spherical) pommel and its variants are signatures of Roman Swords even well into the 15th Century A.D. See the feature thread on Byzantine Swords on this site for examples:sword-site.com/threads/recent/99

The combination of the shape of the pommel and the simple iron crossguard suggest that this hilt could be classified under Behmer's Group C. This group represents the stylistic transition into the Viking Age. See Elis Behmer Das Zweuschneidige Schwert der Germanischen Völkerwanderungszeit (Stockholm, 1939).